• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.178-199
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• 2011

The ancient tombs found in Bokcheon-dong, Busan originate from the time between the $4^{th}$ and $5^{th}$ centuries, the period of the Three Nations. They are known as the tombs where the Vertical Plate Armour was mainly buried. In 2006, two units of the Vertical Plate Armour were additionally investigated in the tombs No.164 and No.165 which had been constructed at the end of the eastern slope near the hill of the group of ancient tombs in Bokcheon-dong. Throughout this study, the contents of the two units of the Vertical Plate Armour, whose preservation process has been completed, have been arranged, while the group of constructed ancient tombs in Bokcheon-dong from the $4^{th}$ century has been observed through the consideration of the burial pattern. The units of the Vertical Plate Armour from the tombs No.164 and No.165 can be classified as the IIa-typed armor showing the Gyeongju and Ulsan patterns, according to the attribute of the manufacturing technology. Also, they can be chronologically recorded as those from the early period of Stage II among the three stages regarding the chronological recording of the Vertical Plate Armour. While more than two units of the Vertical Plate Armour were buried in the largesized tomb on the top of the hill of the group of ancient tombs, one unit of the Vertical Plate Armour was buried in the small-sized tomb. By considering such a trend, it can be said that in the stage of burying the armor showing the Gyeongju and Ulsan patterns (I-type and IIa-type), different units of the Vertical Plate Armour were buried according to the size of the tomb. However, as the armor showing the Busan pattern (IIb-type) was settled, only one unit was buried. Meanwhile, the tombs No.164 and No.165 can be included in the wooden chamber tomb showing the Gyeongju pattern, which is a slender rectangular wooden chamber tomb with the aspect ratio of more than 1:3. However, according to the trend shown by the buried earthenware, it can be said that there seem to be common types and patterns shared with the earthenware which has been found in the area of Gimhae and is called the one showing the Geumgwan Gaya pattern. In other words, there seem to be close relationships between the subject tombs and the tomb No.3 in Gujeong-dong and the tomb No.55 in Sara-ri, Gyeongju, regarding the types of armor and tombs and the arrangement of buried artifacts. However, the buried earthenware shows a relationship with the areas of Busan and Gimhae. By considering the combined trend of the Gyeongju and Gimhae elements found in one tomb, it is possible to assume that the group of constructed ancient tombs in Bokcheon-dong used to be actively related with both areas. It has been thought that the Vertical Plate Armour used to be the exclusive property of the upper hierarchy until now, since it was buried in the large-sized tomb located on the top of the hill of the group of ancient tombs in Bokcheondong. However, as shown in case of the tombs No.164 and No.165, it has been verified that the Vertical Plate Armour was also buried in the small-sized tomb in terms of such factors as locations, sizes, the amount of buried artifacts and the qualitative aspect. Therefore, it is impossible to discuss the hierarchical characteristic of the tomb just based on the buried units of the Vertical Plate Armour. Also, it is difficult to assume that armor used to symbolize the domination of the military forces. The hierarchical characteristic of the group of constructed ancient tombs in Bokcheon-dong from the $4^{th}$ century can be verified according to the location and size of each tomb. As are sult, the re seem to be some differences regarding the buried units of the vertical plate armour. However, it would be necessary to carry out amore multilateral examination in order to find out whether the burial of the vertical plate armour could be regarded as the artifact which symbolizes the status or class of the deceased.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2011

Phytolith of soil in earthenware buried in the wooden chamber tombs at the archaeological site in Hwangseong-dong, Gyeongju along Hyeongsan River are analyzed. The study area has adjoined the seat of government during approximately thousand years in Shilla Dynasty and can be regarded as being closely related to the agricultural activities using the floodplains of Hyeongsan River. By the analytical results, Phragmites, Paniceae and Andropogoneae as well as Oryza sativa are found in the lower horizons, indicating the agricultural activities in the nearby areas. It is suggested for understanding the use of earthenware that the comparisons of buried soils in the site and soils in the earthenware and analysis on the macro plant fossils of soil in the earthenware are needed.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.36
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• pp.181-226
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• 2003

In archeological aspects the 4th-6th centuries of the Silla kingdom has been callded the era of wooden chamber tombs with pebble and earth mounds(jeokseokmokwakbun). Moreover, the era is also regarded the age of the traditional and 'primitive' Korean religion which originated from inside the Korean Peninsula or the kingdom. However, the tombs and their burial accessories reveal that it is Taoism, not shamanism, that prevailed throughout the silla kingdom and its people during the jeokseokmokwakbun period. Above all things, almost all of the tombs excavated up to date yield in great quantities cinnabar and mica, which have been considered the best elixir of life in the Taoist world. Moreover the instruments to make the medicine for the deceased has been founded inside a tomb. The jeokseokmokwakbun tombs are famous for their great amount of buried articles and their grand scale. The tombs also have a large amount of gold, silver and beads, which are all thought to be the other cure-alls in taoism. Then why the silla people made the tombs and buried those elixirs of life for the deceased? The best answer we can imagine is this : for eternal living! In other words, cinnabar and mica are for the everlasting life of the deceased, the tombs were desingned as the 'eternal house' where the dead are living a immortal life. Needless to say, immortal living, even after he or she dies, is the ultimate purpose of taoism.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.4-23
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• 2020

In this article, the excavation and research of cultural assets were set as a process and the improvement measures were considered. To this end, we examined the process of excavating cultural assets to diagnose problems, suggested changes in the format of reports and the establishment of a database, and drew up improvement models for Silla's ancient tombs and research. The problems of the current process of excavating cultural assets are as follows. First, investigation and research fail to integrate and merely comprise 'examination as an administrative procedure' or 'investigation for the sake of investigation', which ultimately hamper research and achievement. Second, there are differences in the composition or description of the report by surveyors or excavation agencies, which make it difficult to integrate data at a higher level. Third, the current form of reporting remains in analog format such as books and PDFs, which not only reduces continuity and efficiency to the research phase, but also lags behind the rapidly changing times. We believe that the improvement of these problems should be achieved by computerizing reports, converting them into digital formats, and establishing them in a database. First, regarding the transition to report format, it was pointed out that the form of excavation data, the final stage of the excavation process, remains analog and the improvement model was presented from the perspective of linking it to excavation and research, and the justification was emphasized through comparison with other cases. Second, the database reviewed the build model for Silla tombs. To this end, the purpose and expected effects, targets, progress, attributes, categories, and interfaces were examined.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.104-121
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• 2016

Royal tombs in Neungsan-ri had been studied several times during the Japanese Colonial era. But, conceiving the general complexion of them is difficult for lack of data and analysis of previous studies are still insufficient. Thus, necessity of new approach and understanding in Royal tombs in Neungsan-ri are emphasized by the reviewing existing studies and conservation history. The Serial numbers of the Royal tombs in Neungsan-ri has been registered arbitrarily without clear guidelines from Japanese Colonial era until present time. It means previous studies were devoid of consideration for serial number changes. And, research has shown that Royal tombs in Neungsan-ri counts at least twenty, taking No.8 tomb of recent study into consideration. Moreover, in case of eastern tombs it needs changes in the existing perception that Royal tombs in Neungsan-ri consist of only six-tombs because there was no difference between eastern tombs and central sixtombs considering the burial chamber and lacquered wooden(koyamaki) Coffin. Ultimately, current state of Royal tombs in Neungsan-ri doesn't have authenticity because they had been found and regulated in the Japanese Colonial era. Consequently, it is required to overall study into entrance to burial chamber and covered burial stone marker and exaggerated mounds, ignored another tombs other than six-tombs in the center.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.202-223
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• 2020

This purpose of this article is to identify the original form of the gilt-bronze ornamental pieces unearthed from the east part of the third wooden coffin in the Naju Bogam-ri Jeongchon (NBJ) tombs. The gilt-bronze ornamental pieces were all small, measuring less than 3cm in size and about 0.2cm in thickness, and only 19 or more small pieces were identified. In each piece of gilt decoration, a circular perforation, convex pattern, leaf-shaped spangle (瓔珞), 2 small holes for attaching spangles and gilt-bronze thread, 2 small holes for unknown purposes, and a continuous dot pattern of about 0.05 cm can be observed. As a result, it was judged that the gilt-bronze pieces excavated from the NBJ No. 1 chamber were part of the Headband Crown. Therefore, type 1 and type 3 of the gilt-bronze pieces were determined to be part of the Headband, and type 2 to be part of the Vertical Ornaments. Based on previous results, two types of restoration were proposed for NBJ No. 1 tomb gilt-bronze ornaments. In the first restoration proposal, there are wave-shaped dot patterns on the top and bottom of the crown, and the middle decoration is a spangle, circular perforation and spangle and a convex-pattern. In the second restoration plan, one row of convex patterns was added among the decorations in the middle of the first. The same type of vertical ornament was found in the Sochang (小倉) collection crown, but the overall structure and shape of the crown were completely different. On the other hand, the use of small holes of unknown use, as seen in the crown, was presumed to represent holes for fixing to a cap of organic matter. The restored NBJ No. 1 tomb gilt-bronze crown is characterized by circular punching, which makes it difficult to find an analogy in the other Three Kingdoms-period crowns. Unlike the existing halls in Gaya, Mahan, and Baekje, each district has a unique shape and decoration. The gilt-bronze crown excavated from NBJ No. 1 tomb is thought to reflect these characteristics.

• Bangmulgwan gwa yeongu (The National Museum of Korea Journal)
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• v.1
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• pp.174-197
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• 2024

Personal ornaments made from precious metals that have been excavated from tombs dating to the Maripgan period (4th-6th century) of the Silla Kingdom are a major subject of analysis in the study of gender and hierarchy among the tomb occupants. Nonetheless, bracelets had been neglected until Ha Daeryong's recent research on determining gender through bracelets attracted attention. Accordingly, an examination and organization of the fundamental elements of Silla bracelets was needed. In response, this paper examines their physical characteristics, appearance, changes over time, and related wearing practices. The data for this study is derived from 176 bracelets, mostly made from silver or gold. Copper and glass bracelets are also included. Many of them were cast in a single-use earthen mold. Even the notched and protruding designs were created by casting rather than carving. Glass bracelets and bracelets with dragon designs were made using molds with round cavities. Excluding those produced using metal sheets, the rest of the bracelets are thought to have been cast in a mold with a long-string-shaped cavity and then bent round. After being bent, the two ends were either soldered together (closed type) or left open (open type). As demonstrated in the study by Lee Hansang, Silla bracelets evolved from plain rounded rod-shaped bracelets, such as the one excavated from the Northern Mound of Hwangnamdaechong Tomb, to versions with notched designs, and eventually to those with protruding designs, which gained popularity by the sixth century. The precedents of plain rounded rod-shaped bracelets are presumed to have been thin rod-shaped bracelets from the Proto-Three Kingdoms period. Bracelets need to be fit to the wrists so that they do not slip off easily when worn. The open type design was the preferable way to achieve this. Moreover, given the ductility of gold, silver, and copper, it seems that it would have been possible to stretch or deform them. In the end, I concluded that even if a bracelet is too small to pass man's hand, the open type could have been worn. Furthermore, if a closed-type bracelet were pressed into an oval shape, it would not be impossible for a man to put it on. When bracelets are divided according to their degree of deformability into type A (the open type) through type D, which is almost impossible to deform, type A is commonly found with wearers of thin hollow earrings, and types C and D (which are difficult to deform) are not found with wearers of thin hollow earrings, but only with wearers of thick hollow earrings. Therefore, it can be seen that men were allowed to wear bracelets, and the existing studies that differentiate between men and women based on the wearing of thin hollow earrings, thick hollow earrings, and swords remain valid.